The 76ers raced out to a 78-55 halftime lead and appeared on the way to a blowout. But before the 76ers could even think, "We did this without Joel Embiid," the Cavaliers roared back to win the second half, 75-54.

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Add up the two scores and the 76ers barely held on, 132-130, as the Cavs missed a potential game-tying tip shot in the final second.

With the victory, the 76ers (49-30) move past the Cavs (49-31) into third place in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers have three games left (Dallas, at Atlanta, Milwaukee) while the Cavs face the Knicks in New York Monday and then at home for their season finale Wednesday. A lot can happen the next few days, but for now, Philadelphia holds the spot.

Even with Embiid sidelined by a concussion and fractured orbital bone, the 76ers still have abundant talent, including guard Ben Simmons, who has averaged a triple-double in his past 14 games. Simmons put on a show Friday, throwing a bizarre between-the-legs assist at one point, then a few minutes later slashing to the rim for a slam.

Simmons finished with another triple-double (27 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists), but veteran guard JJ Redick contributed 28 and fellow sharpshooter Marco Belinelli poured in 23 off the bench. LeBron James also had a triple-double (44/11/11), while forward Jeff Green continued his strong play with 33 points.

Studs of the night

Hail to the Raptors, who not only clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history, they also set a team record for wins (57) with their 92-73 victory against the Pacers.

LeBron James' excellence is so taken for granted, he rarely gets a mention here, but 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists is impossible to ignore.

What's next

Pelicans (45-34) at Warriors (57-22), 8:30 p.m. ET - In addition to featuring a great matchup between two of the league's marquee players, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis, this is an important game for the Pelicans, who could still miss the playoffs with a slight stumble the final week.